Teen confidentiality: Sex, drugs and doctor’s appointments…

Without doctor-patient confidentiality, adolescents are less likely to seek healthcare or to disclose sensitive information about their lives. Even knowing this, some parents have a hard time letting go. Here's why we should...

We drum into our kids that they need to talk, if it’s not to us, then to somebody they trust, just get it out … but are we really letting go enough to allow them to do that?

Current guidelines in adolescent medicine recommend that all young people should be able to see doctors for confidential consultations without parents present – however, research has shown that this just does not sit well with all parents.

Why it’s so important for teens to get confidentiality from medical practitioners

Kidspot spoke to Dr Rony Duncan, Senior Research Fellow at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and lead researcher into a study that conducted a series of interviews with parents of adolescents to talk to them about their views on confidential consultations for young people. The research showed that the thought of their personal issues being disclosed to their parents or carers means that teens will be less likely to seek out healthcare in the first place. If teens do seek out care and don’t feel confident in their privacy, they may not disclose sensitive information about their lives and they’ll be less likely to return for future appointments.

Why do parents have such a hard time with this idea?

The mother of a Gold Coast schoolboy was furious when her son was prescribed the anti-depressant, Prozac, without her knowledge. The 16-year-old was given the prescription by a GP at the youth mental health service, Headspace, who defended the doctor’s decision, saying young people using their service have a right to expect confidentiality.

This mum is not alone. Many parents want to be told what goes on behind closed doors when their teenager visits a doctor, even if their children don’t want them to know. To find out why, the Centre for Adolescent Health in Melbourne recently interviewed parents of teenagers to find out what influences their views.

Some parents felt that not knowing every single detail of their teenager’s life meant that they were a bad parent. Some believe that “no-one knows your child like a parent does” and therefore the right questions may not be asked.

In regards to confidentiality, one parent said, “I would willingly step out if I trusted the doctor to share with me anything I need to be aware of.” Kind of confusing right?

“These parental skills are vital when children are young. But as children grow up and enter adolescence, it becomes more and more important for them to have privacy. Yes, this comes with risks. What if they don’t share all the necessary information? What if they don’t remember what is said? What if they don’t understand what is explained? But these are necessary risks,” Dr Duncan says.

“It’s really tough to begin stepping back as a parent as your kids get older, but part of being a good parent is allowing your kids to have more independence. Letting them have confidential health-care is part of that.”

How can doctors help parents feel comfortable with child confidentiality?

Doctors are not in competition with parents. They want the same things that parents do – to keep young people healthy and well, physically and mentally.

Dr Duncan suggests: “Health professionals need to prioritise this time alone for young people, despite other competing demands and despite this being an uncomfortable conversation to have with some parents. They may need to invest more time in building rapport with parents (as well as with young people) in order to develop this trust and understanding, and may require additional training and support to do this effectively.”

“It’s understandable that parents want to know what’s going on with their children, but if doctors tell parents everything, it’s no longer a private space. And we know that confidentiality is vital if young people are going to open up about their lives to doctors and therefore get the healthcare they need.”